We all love to cuddle
by FriendsLovers
Summary: Danny wants a serious relationship. But what to do until he finds his perfect woman? Well, there is still his roommate Lindsay. - DL
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Danny wants a serious relationship. But what to do until he finds his perfect woman? Well, there is still his roommate Lindsay. - DL - Oneshot**

**Author's note: I wrote a few follow-ups for this oneshot.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything.**

**Rating: T**

Since Danny had arrived at home, he hadn't spoken a word. Before Lindsay had moved in with her roommate, she wouldn't have worried about that. Danny was a man, and a lot of men didn't really like to talk all the time, like women did.

But obviously this hadn't been the reason why he had been quiet from time to time. Because since he and Lindsay were roommates, she had discovered that he was indeed a pretty talkative person. Which was nice, because it never got boring, especially because they shared a lot of interests.

Now he hadn't spoken more than 'hey' since the moment he had walked through the front door, which had been around half an hour ago. He was sitting on the couch next to her, staring at the TV in front of him in silence. And slowly it was causing her to worry.

"Mind me if I take my shirt off? It's hot in here," Danny's voice interrupted her in her thoughts.

"What? No. Why?" she asked back.

"Just asking," was the brief reply. Danny eyes remained focussed on the TV. Now shirtless, he was resting against the back of the couch, legs resting on the coffee table. Lindsay would even go so far and wonder if he looked quite pissed right now.

"Okay, what's wrong?" she wanted to know, no longer able to bear the silence between them.

"Nothing is wrong," Danny answered, giving her a quick confused glance. But he should have known his friend better.

"Nice try, Messer. Now tell me what's wrong," she replied, changing her position so she could face him. "You know that's what friends are for, right?"

"I said nothing is wrong," Danny repeated his former answer, in no way cooperative.

Lindsay groaned lightly. It was always the same. "You do know I won't stop questioning you until you tell me what's wrong?"

Now it was Danny's turn to groan. Knowing him for so long though Lindsay knew he wasn't annoyed by her determination to make him talk. If he was honest, he even enjoyed the fact that someone was truly interested in him and in what was going on inside him. Also he wasn't used to someone noticing him having a problem without explicit saying it.

"I'm just having enough of it, that's all," he answered, looking back at the TV.

"Enough of it?" she repeated, raising her eyebrows at him. "And you guys say women are complicated. Enough of what, Danny? Be a bit more clear."

Sighing lightly, Danny still refused looking at her when he answered, "I have enough of my relationships."

"Which relationships?" Lindsay asked before she could stop herself.

Danny nodded. "That's what I mean."

At this point, Lindsay was completely confused. What was he talking about now? "What exactly is your problem now? You don't really have relationships and anyway you have enough of them?"

When he looked at her again, Lindsay noticed the slight impatience in his eyes. She could only assume that once again he was talking about something that possibly was easy for her but totally complicated for him; relationships. From him she knew his former relationships never had been lasting very long. A couple of months; okay, but not more. Most of them had been way shorter than that. Until now Lindsay had never really thought about this; she had expected him to like this life style. Although she also didn't see him as some kind of playboy, more as someone who wasn't ready to settle down yet. She had never bothered to ask him about what he was thinking about himself though.

"I'm just tired of those relationships that lead to nothing," he explained. "I'm tired of going out, meeting some girl, inviting her for dinner, sleeping with her. Repeat that for a few days, weeks or months and that's it again. I have enough of that."

"Understandable," Lindsay answered. Of course she could only speak for herself, but this description really didn't sound like something she'd like. "And...do you have any plans how you want to change that? Or what you want exactly?"

Danny shrugged, but the fact that he blushed revealed he had ideas of what he wanted. "No idea."

"May I guess?" she asked. When she saw how his eyes widened at her question, she added, "Come on, aren't you interested in finding out what others are thinking about you?"

"Not really?" Danny replied, but knew she would share her opinion with him anyway.

"I think after all the years you finally want to have a real relationship," she told him. "You have enough of only going out, having sex and then leaving again. You want someone who you can go to after work or who's at your place when you come home. You want someone who listens to you when you had a hard day, who supports you and maybe comforts you. Someone who you can cuddle with when you have the wish to do that."

"I still don't cuddle," Danny contradicted, blushing even more though.

"And why? You have sex with women. Why don't you cuddle with them? It's the perfect way to get closer to each other," she said.

Again Danny shrugged. "Until now I didn't feel myself close enough to someone to feel the wish to cuddle with them. It's not something you like to do with everyone."

Lindsay couldn't help but look at him in surprise. "You want to tell me cuddling is more intimate for you than having sex?"

"Everyone's different, right?" he answered, almost looking helpless now. This conversation was going too far for him.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Lindsay told him, not wanting him to feel even more uncomfortable. She also didn't want to drop the topic though, because there weren't many moments when she was able to get such an insight into what her friend was feeling and thinking. "But you can't deny you have the wish to be close to someone from time to time, without actually sleeping with the person, right?"

"Everyone does I think," Danny replied, still uncomfortable with where this talk had gone to.

"Then why don't you try to look for a relationship like that?" Lindsay asked. "Don't look for some random girl in a bar. Look for a woman who wants a serious relationship with you. Get to know her better and then give it a try. I know it's not easy to trust in someone, but it comes with the time. You'll be surprised how wonderful it feels like when you're working on a relationship that's supposed to last for years, not only for a short period of time." With a light smile she added, "Also this will help you to satisfy your wish to...well, get some closeness to someone."

"That sounds like a lot of work though," Danny said, not really convinced by an idea. "It'll take me ages to get to a point where I really want to be so intimate with someone."

"But it's worth it. Since when do you have relationships?"

"Since I'm twelve," he answered. "That's also around the time when...why do you even care? What does that have to do with the topic now?"

"I was just wondering," Lindsay answered, still smiling at him. She couldn't deny he was adorable when he didn't really want to talk although he couldn't help it at the same time. "Do you want it to go on like that forever? You're thirty years old now, Danny. Go and look for a serious relationship."

Danny sighed deeply. "Why can't I just date you? Then at least I wouldn't have to do this whole 'get to know her better' crap."

Lindsay chuckled at his suggestion. The look he gave her made her wonder if this was really a joke though.

"Well, at least I'm here when you're coming home, I'm listening to you, surprising you with dinner, and I can also help you with your cuddle problem," she answered. When she saw the surprised look on his face, she blushed and quickly added, "I mean...friends can also cuddle, right? That's different of course, but...it doesn't mean you can only do that in a relationship. You know..."

Now it was Danny's turn to grin. "Sounds like a plan, Montana. Give me what I can't get from other women."

Lindsay rolled her eyes at him. Danny only grinned more in response before he turned his attention back to the TV. For him the conversation was finished now. Lindsay saw that a bit different though. Knowing Danny she knew that there was no need to force him to say more. He had already told her more about himself than he usually liked to do, so she was satisfied for now.

They continued watching a random show ion TV. After a couple of minutes though, Lindsay felt how Danny's attention turned away from the show and back to her again.

"What?" she asked after another few minutes.

"I was just wondering if you were serious about your offer," he replied. "You know, that I can cuddle with you."

Lindsay couldn't help but smile at the careful question. "Of course. You feel a wish to cuddle with me?"

"Maybe," Danny answered, causing her smile to widen even more.

"Alright," she said, opening her arms. "Come here."

A few moments later, the two were lying on the couch. Danny was lying in front of Lindsay while she had one arm wrapped around him, her other hand running through his short hair.

"You like that?" she asked after a while, moving so she could see his face, noticing he had his eyes closed.

"Yeah. Just continue, okay?" he answered, briefly opening his eyes to glance up at her before he closed them again.

"Alright," she replied.

Still smiling, Lindsay kept on cuddling with Danny. Secretly she had always seen him like this; someone who tried to be the inapproachable guy who didn't let anyone in, but in fact couldn't get enough of some tenderness and nearness. She was glad to know him so good and grateful for how close they were. And she couldn't help the thought that maybe they'd get even closer because of their new hobby now.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, thanks for the wonderful feedback for chapter one! I'm so happy you liked the fic. So, I changed my mind and decided that instead of adding follow ups, I will just add chapters to this oneshot. So here's part two of the cuddle series. I hope you enjoy it. :)**

"You know, that's total crap," Danny said after staring at the TV with raised eyebrows for several minutes now.

"What's crap?" Lindsay asked, looking down at her friend, whose head was resting on her stomach. She chuckled at the half disgusted, half annoyed expression on his face.

"The stuff we're just watching," he answered. "It's crap."

"Then why don't you switch the channels?" she wanted to know. "I'm sure there's something else on."

But Danny shook his head. "This'd mean I have to move. And I'm not going to do that," he replied simply.

"Danny, just take the remote and switch the channel," she said, playfully rolling her eyes at him, but she couldn't hide the amusement in her voice.

Since Lindsay was living together with Danny as roommates, she had discovered a couple of new sides she hadn't known about her friend yet. Like the fact that in the morning he always was a bit lost, needing a few moments before his mind was working fully.

Lately she had discovered another side of him though. His lazy, cuddle side. Lindsay had always suspected that Danny wasn't the hard guy who didn't need any closeness to anyone. Since he had confessed that he was looking for something constant and for someone who gave him some closeness though and since she had offered to give him some cuddle time here and there, he apparently had found a new hobby.

Like now. While Lindsay was lying on her back, his head was resting on her stomach, his arms wrapped around her waist. Her free hand was either running through his hair or up and down his bare back. She knew how much he loved those lazy hours and she couldn't deny she could definitely get used to them. And also to this new closeness between them.

"Now would you please stop being so lazy?" Lindsay asked halfheartedly. Who was she trying to kid? She liked that he enjoyed being around her so much. Who cared about a stupid TV show?

"I've had a hard day," he answered, snuggling even closer against her. "I want to relax now."

Sighing lightly, Lindsay nodded. "Fine."

While Danny closed his eyes, simply ignoring the TV program, Lindsay kept on running her hand up and down the soft skin of his back. She had to admit that she also felt herself relaxing while doing that. He wasn't the only one who had enough of his current state of relationships.

Since Lindsay had moved to New York, she hadn't really had a boyfriend, and before that she hadn't been in a relationship for quite a long time as well. It wasn't like she was thinking what was going on between her and her roommate was leading to anything more than friendship. But she enjoyed being that close to him, being the one he went to when he felt the need to be around someone, being the one who was allowed to hold him in her arms, cuddling with him.

"You have a wonderful smooth skin, you know that?" she asked into the silence. Although she couldn't see his facial expression, Lindsay could almost feel his confused look.

"Who, me?" he asked.

"No, the talk show master," Lindsay answered. "Of course you."

Danny didn't reply for a couple of moments. "Are you flirting with me or something?" he asked then, half joking half serious, causing Lindsay to laugh.

"No, don't worry," she answered. "I just wanted to be nice. You really have a very soft skin. Pretty much every woman would be jealous."

Danny chuckled as well. "And I'm not even using this horribly expensive women's stuff like creams etc. Only soap."

"Even better," she answered, smiling. Once again they were silent for a couple of minutes. Lindsay still felt the wish to have a conversation with her friend though and so she kept on asking questions. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Danny shook his head. "No."

"No?" Surprised Lindsay looked down at him again. "It's Saturday night and you have no plans? No date? Nothing?"

"No. Why, is that so hard to believe?" Danny asked back. He changed his position a bit until he was able to look up at her.

"Of course not, but...well, I'm just surprised," Lindsay answered, running her hand through his now quite spiky hair. "I always though you find it boring to stay at home for a Saturday night."

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Danny wanted to know. Moving a bit more, he was lying on top of her now, able to look her into the eyes. Lindsay couldn't help but blush lightly at the sudden, quite intense body contact between them, hoping he wouldn't guess the reasons for her blushing.

"No, I won't go anywhere either," she said. "Sometimes it's just too loud out there. Too many people, you know?"

Danny nodded. "The country girl's speaking. So, then lucky me really won't have a boring night when you're around as well."

Lindsay chuckled. Having her eyes still locked with his though made it difficult for her to think about a fitting reply. Especially while lying in a pretty intimate position like this.

"And what do you want us to do tonight?" she asked. There were so many possibilities, but quickly she banned them all out of her mind.

"There's a lot we could do," he said like he had read her mind. His voice sounded like he was joking, his eyes were telling her a different story. "We also could just stay here on the couch. I have to say I really start to like it here. Or we could go over into my bedroom, I have a TV there as well."

Lindsay couldn't help the grin that lit her face at his suggestion. "What would you do if I said 'yeah, good idea, lets go into your bedroom' now, huh?"

To her surprise, his eyes stayed serious when he answered, "I'd go in there with you. Who cares whether we're lying on the couch or in my bed?"

Lindsay raised her eyebrows lightly at his answer. In her eyes there was indeed a difference between lying on the couch in the living room and lying in his bed in his bedroom. Of course technically it really didn't matter; they could also just lie next to each other in his bed, they could also simply make out on the couch. But it was a different feeling, especially because until now Lindsay had barely been in Danny's bedroom yet. But despite her thoughts, what she said came out quicker than expected.

"Alright," she said. "Then what do you say- first we'll have dinner together. Then we'll spend the rest of the night in your room. Your bed is more comfortable than the couch I think."

Curious she waited for his answer. Once again to her surprise, the expression in Danny's eyes didn't change when he nodded. "Good idea." Sighing lightly, he moved to get up. "I'll go order us something to eat. What about pizza?"

"Sounds nice," she answered.

Sitting up as well now Lindsay didn't even try to wonder why Danny had reacted like this. Why should she try to analyse every situation? As if she wouldn't enjoy spending so much time with him. She had to admit that spending time with him wasn't everything she enjoyed. Both of them finally got what they had been looking for for such a long time now, and neither of them really cared whether this had to do with friendship or not.

**A/N: Please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: OMG! Wow! I can't believe it! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the wonderful feedback! I appreciate it so much! And thank you so much to everyone who added the story to their favourite and alerts! I'm so excited to see you like this story as much as I do. I hope you all received my review replies. :) Actually I planned it to be a oneshot with some follow ups, but I think I might add a few more chapters than I planned. I hope you'll like them. :)**

**To CSINYtwinz1412: I agree with you! He's cute, isn't he? Thanks for reviewing!**

"You know you could have helped me to clean the living room up," Danny said while carrying the last bit left from their dinner back into the kitchen.

Lindsay, who was lying in his bedroom already, chuckled. "Be a gentleman, Danny. If you want to find a woman for a serious relationship, it's not enough to pay dinner and allow her to be on top from time to time."

Danny, who had just walked into the bedroom as well, stopped in his tracks, staring at her with huge eyes. "You didn't just say that, right?"

Lindsay laughed even more, letting herself sinking back against one of his large pillows. "Stop complaining and get into the bed. Or there won't be any cuddling."

"What else would you be doing, huh?" Danny asked back, from looking shocked changing to smirking at her now. "You just said you don't have any plans or are you going to go out to find yourself someone else for cuddling?"

"Maybe not only for cuddling," Lindsay couldn't help but reply. She had already noticed the light sparks of jealousy in his beautiful eyes and she had to admit she loved him acting like that. Although she still didn't really understand why he was thinking he could be jealous in any way. "Now come over here already."

"Yes, Ma'am," Danny answered. With that he started to open the button of his jeans, stopping when he saw how she raised her eyebrows lightly. "What? Do you think I'll go into bed in my jeans?" With a cheeky smirk, he added, "You don't mind, do you?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "I've seen guys in less than that, don't worry."

Danny shook his head at her, still smirking. While she tried to focus her eyes back on the TV, he undressed, extra slowly, before he joined her in bed.

"Oh, that's so much better than the couch," he said, groaning satisfied. "Perfect. My best friend in bed with me, cuddling with me, some weird stuff on TV. What else could I wish for?"

He rested his head back on it's former place on her stomach, making himself comfortable. Lindsay couldn't help but stare at him, wondering when their cuddling sessions had become so normal and traditional to him.

"Who said that you're the only one who gets some cuddling by the way?" she asked while she let her hand run through his hair; something he had gotten totally addicted to already.

"What do you mean?" he mumbled somewhere into her stomach, not bothering to move a single inch.

"I mean you're the one who gets all the stroking," she explained. "But what about me?"

"You want some cuddling as well, Montana?" Danny asked, finally moving, just to greet her with yet another smirk. "Not a problem."

And before she could reply, he already grabbed her arm. With one quick motion he pulled her around so she was almost lying on top of him now. Before she could contradict, he lay down next to her, pulling her closer against him. She couldn't help but shudder lightly at the sudden, strong grip.

"Montana wants to cuddle? Why didn't you just tell me earlier?" he said and she could clearly hear the teasing sound in his voice.

"That's what I just did," she replied briefly. She felt how his hand sneaked under her tank top, gently running up her spine. The sensations of this touch caused her to close her eyes. Instinctively she closed her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer against him. She could almost feel the smirk that lit Danny's face at her actions.

"You like that, Montana?" he asked. Ever so slowly he let his hand travel even further up her back. Once again Lindsay shivered lightly. He knew exactly how to touch her, like she knew how to touch him. It was amazing.

"Yes, I do. And you stop smirking," she answered. "Just keep on stroking."

Danny chuckled. But instead of commenting, he pulled her a little bit closer, wrapping one arm around her while the other kept on running up and down her back. Lying there, enjoying how close they were, Lindsay understood why he had gotten so addicted to their new tradition; it wasn't just incredibly relaxing, it also caused a lot of more feelings inside her. Delicious feelings. Feelings she had been longing for for such a long time. And while lying there, she didn't even notice when she slowly fell asleep.

--------

When Lindsay woke up again, she needed a moment to remember where she was and what had happened last. It took her a few minutes to realise she wasn't in her own bedroom but in Danny's. Obviously she was still lying half on top of him while his arms were still wrapped around her, the TV still running in the background. Blinking a few times, she moved.

"Oh, hey, the sleeping beauty woke up again?" Danny said. When she managed to look up at him, she was greeted with a broad grin. She was too tired to reply though.

"How long did I sleep?" she wanted to know.

Danny glanced at his alarm clock. "I'd say around an hour. But obviously that wasn't enough. You're still looking like you're tired."

Lying on her stomach, face to face to Danny now, Lindsay didn't know what to reply. She blamed her tiredness for that. But something else was preventing her from speaking as well, and she had no idea what it was.

"I think I should go to bed then," she managed to say after several long minutes. She already moved to get up, but Danny kept her in place.

"You are already in a bed," he answered. "You can stay here for tonight."

Lindsay's eyes widened lightly at the suggestion. "You think that's a good idea?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. I won't rip your clothes of, Montana, don't worry."

Lindsay sighed playfully. "I'm not sure that's something I should be glad about..."

Danny laughed. "I mean out of respect. I won't do anything you don't want to."

"Thanks," Lindsay answered, yawning. "Maybe staying here isn't such a bad idea."

"Plus we can just keep on cuddling," he replied.

With that Danny switched the TV off and wrapped the blanket around himself and Lindsay. Both were too tired to realise that once again they had made another step into another special direction.

**A/N: Please review. It's very much appreciated! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wow! Just wow! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! Do you know how happy I am that you like the story? Thank you so much!!!**

It was a loud, shrill sound that woke Danny up early in the morning. Like always when he was woken up by something, he needed a moment to clear his mind, to know where he was and what was going on. Where was this horrible sound coming from?

"The doorbell is ringing," a sleepy, female voice next to him told him.

Blinking a few times, Danny managed to see Lindsay, who was looking at him.

"Can't you go and open the door?" she added when he still hadn't spoken anything.

"You could have opened the door as well. It's our place," Danny mumbled, slowly sitting up. He hated to be woken up, especially when he had his day off. Whoever dared to ring his doorbell that early in the morning better had a good reason for doing that. He glanced over at his alarm clock, trying to see what time it was. To his surprise he discovered it was already around 8. Although this was still too early for a day off.

Sighing deeply, Danny finally managed to get off the bed. Slowly he headed towards the front door, groaning when it was rung again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way. Calm down!" he shouted, running his hands through his short hair. He really disliked sudden visitors. There were a lot of other ways he could imagine for waking up. Like being woken up by Lindsay, snuggling closer against him. Or something like that.

"What do you want over here that early?" he already shouted when he opened his front door.

"Good morning to you, too," Flack greeted him, grinning. "Did I wake you up?"

"How does it look like?" Danny asked back, stepping aside to let his friend in. "I don't have to work today, and I thought you knew that."

"I'm sorry," Flack answered, walking into the living room. Like it was his own home, he let himself fall onto the living room couch. "I was on my way to work and found myself being too early. So I thought I could visit you."

"Nice idea," Danny replied, sitting down next to his friend, revealing that this visit wasn't how he had imagined the morning. But before he could say more, the door of his bedroom was opened again and a very sleepy Lindsay appeared in the doorway.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. When she noticed Flack, she added, "Hello Don."

"Hello," was the short reply. With a surprised look, he stared at Lindsay, who turned her attention back to Danny, waiting for an answer.

"Don just decided it'd be nice to visit us before he goes to work," he answered. "Nothing special, so you can go back to bed."

Yawning lightly, Lindsay nodded, already turning around to return into Danny's bedroom. When Danny turned back to Flack, he found his friend looking at him with huge eyes, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What?" Danny asked.

"What?" Flack repeated. "You do know that Lindsay just came out of your bedroom? Did you switch rooms or something?"

Danny shook his head. He had to fight hard against smirking. He could clearly imagine what Flack was thinking now. "No, this is still my room."

"And what's she doing inside there then?" Flack wanted to know. "Don't say 'nothing'. Since when do you share a bedroom?"

"For a while already," Danny explained, needing his whole willpower to not laugh about Flack's expression. "We found out that we both find it kinda boring to sleep alone all the time. And because we both aren't really interested in any short lasting relationship crap, we decided to spend some more time with each other."

"So does that mean you and her...?" Flack asked.

Danny laughed. "You mean if we have sex? No, I have to disappoint you."

"And why not?" Flack wanted to know, now causing Danny to give him a confused look.

"Because we're friends?" he replied.

Flack chuckled. "Yeah, of course you are." The sarcasm in his voice caused Danny to get even more confused.

"What are you talking about, Don?" he asked.

Flack sighed playfully. "Danny, if there are two people who I really don't think are nothing more than friends, it's you and Lindsay. Yeah, at the beginning you were friends. Even when she moved in with you. But that's long time ago. The sparks between the two of you are so obvious, everyone can see that. And now you're even sharing the same bed? It's just a question of time until you'll sleep with her. It's not about the if, but the when."

Danny could only stare back at Flack in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not at all," Flack replied, getting up from the couch again. "I think I'll go to work now. And you enjoy your day off with your so called friend."

Flack was still laughing, even after he had already left the apartment. Danny remained staring at the closed front door. Then he shook his head and turned to head back into the bedroom.

"He left again?" Lindsay asked him when he entered the room again. She was still lying in the large bed, comfortably wrapped into her half of the blanket.

Danny nodded, crawling back onto the bed to lie down next to her. For a moment he watched her, one thought spinning around in his mind all the time.

"Is everything okay?" she asked again.

"Yeah, sure," Danny answered. He hesitated briefly, wondering if he should say what he wanted to say. But after a short moment, he pushed his doubts away. What was his problem? "Do you think there are sparks between us? Tension?"

"Why?" Lindsay asked back. He saw the confusion in her eyes, but he also found her blushing lightly.

"Just asking," Danny replied. "Don was acting weird again."

Laughing, Lindsay nodded. "Alright then." Without saying more, she moved closer to him again, resting her head on his shoulder. "So, what are we going to do today? Any plans already?"

"Not really," he answered.

"Then I'd say we just relax a bit," she suggested. "I think after such a hard week, we deserve it."

Danny nodded in response. Instinctively he closed his arms a little tighter around Lindsay when she snuggled closer against his side. He couldn't deny he was still thinking about what Flack had told him. Was he right? Was there really more going on between them than he had thought? He didn't know it. But he couldn't help the thought that Flack wasn't that wrong with his idea either.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You're so wonderful, you know that? Thank you so much for the sweet reviews! They made me smile all the time. Thank you! Let's see what'll happen next. ;)**

"Danny?" Lindsay shouted. She had just come home and like most of the time when she came home, she found the apartment dark, like no one was at home. She knew Danny possibly could be out, but anyway she thought she could give it a try.

"In the bedroom," he shouted back.

Lindsay chuckled at the answer. Since she and Danny were mostly spending time in his room, he had turned from calling it 'his' bedroom to simply saying 'the' bedroom. Flack was teasing them because of that. Lindsay didn't know where the problem was. She and Danny were best friends, roommates for a long time already. And now they had decided to spend some more time together. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Hey," she greeted him when she entered the room. "What are you still doing here?"

Danny was sitting on the bed, resting against the headboard of it, the TV remote in one hand, dressed only in some sport pants and a t-shirt. Questioning he looked up at her.

"Where else should I be?" he wanted to know.

"Don't you have a date tonight?" she asked back, raising her eyebrows at him. How could he forget about having a date?

"A date?" Danny asked confused. For a moment he thought about her question, then his eyes widened. "Oh, right. The date with...Jane?"

Lindsay nodded. "Exactly. Your date with Jane. If I was you I would get out of the bed now and get dressed or do you want to meet her like this?"

"Honestly?" Danny asked back. "I don't really want to meet her at all."

"No?" Now it was Lindsay's turn to be surprised. She sat down at the bottom of the bed, looking at him. "Why not? Since when don't you like to go out for dates?"

Danny shrugged. "I guess I'm just not in the mood for that."

"But I thought you wanted to meet someone for a serious relationship finally," Lindsay replied. "How do you want to do that when you stay here, watching...whatever you're watching there."

"I'm just not in the mood, Montana," Danny answered.

"But I think Jane is a really nice woman."

"So, you know her or something?"

"Not really," Lindsay sighed. "But Stella said she's friendly."

"Yeah, maybe." Danny sighed as well, crossing his arms across his chest. "Montana, are you trying to force me into a date or something?"

"Of course not," Lindsay answered, shaking her head at him. "You can quit the date. But I thought you wanted to meet someone."

"But it's so exhausting, this whole dating crap," Danny complained. "I would rather like to stay here with you. That's a compliment by the way."

Lindsay smiled lightly at him. "Yeah, and that's sweet of you. But...I'm sure you'll have fun. Just give it a try. It's not like we can't do our cuddle sessions anymore."

"Then if dates are so great, why don't you go out either?" Danny wanted to know.

"Because I have no date," she answered simply.

"If I quit mine, I also don't have one," Danny replied, but again she shook her head at him.

"You'll go and meet Jane now," Lindsay told him. She got up from the bed again. "Now. I'm sure you'll like it."

"I can't believe you're so mean," Danny half whined, half contradicted, finally getting up from his bed now.

"And I can't believe you're too lazy for a date," Lindsay replied, grabbing his hand to pull him to the bathroom.

-------

As much as Lindsay had tried to convince Danny that a date with Jane, a person who Lindsay had introduced at Stella's friend but who actually only was someone Stella had met at a bar a few times, would be nice, he still hadn't been in the mood for a date when he had left the apartment building.

All the way to the other woman's place, he had thought about what else he could be doing now if he had no date. He could still be lying in bed, together with Lindsay. They could talk a bit, tease each other a bit, laugh about whatever stupid TV show they were watching and cuddle a bit.

But no. Instead he was all dressed up now, absolutely not looking forward to this date. This didn't change all the way until he was standing in front of the apartment door. Briefly he hoped that maybe the woman wasn't interested either and just wasn't at home or wouldn't open. But his wish didn't come true.

A few second after he had knocked, the front door flew open, causing him to wonder if she had already been waiting for him on the other side of it. A petite, pretty brunette appeared, smiling at him brightly.

"Hey," she said. "You must be Danny. I'm Jane."

"Hey," Danny greeted back. "So...can we go?"

"Of course," she answered, still with the huge smile plastered over her face. She closed her door, then simply grabbed his arm and let him lead her out of the apartment building.

During the next few hours, Danny really tried his best. He tried to be as friendly as possible, he tried to listen to what she was telling and tried to seem interested. But he really hardly could manage it. Not just hadn't he been in a mood for a date, also he thought this definitely counted to one of the most boring dates he had ever had.

"You have to know, I've had something with a couple of cops already," she told him, winking at him. "I think cops definitely are awesome lovers."

"Uh...nice to know," Danny replied, raising his eyebrows lightly. He thought about what else he could ask that she hadn't told him in her endlessly long monologue yet, but obviously Jane had already found another topic.

"But unfortunately I didn't have sex for such a long time," she said, rolling her eyes. Danny could only stare back at her; talking about sex in a restaurant like this? Okay... "One whole week."

"One week..." Danny repeated quietly, raising his eyebrows even more. Even he didn't look like he hadn't been intimate with a woman for years when it was just a week.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" she asked. "But luckily I met you now." Once again she winked at him. And Danny couldn't help but stare even more shocked at her. Since when was he the one who was shocked by the suggestion to have sex?

"Uh...listen, Jane...actually I didn't meet you with the prospect of...well, starting anything tonight," he tried to explain.

"Are you kidding me?" Jane asked back, her eyes widening. "Why else did you meet me?"

"For dinner. To get to know you a bit," Danny answered, blushing lightly. Slowly he started to understand how women must be feeling when they met a guy who only had one thing in his mind.

"And you...want to tell me you're not interested in doing anything else tonight?" she wanted to know, disbelief in her voice.

"No," Danny answered honestly.

Jane stared at him for at least a minute and Danny already wondered if she would freak out the next second, when she suddenly shrugged and got up from her chair.

"Well, your problem. I'm sure there'll be someone else I'll find. Good night."

With this short sentence she turned around and headed towards the door. Danny watched her until she had left the restaurant. Then he released a sigh, shaking his head.

"And this was supposed to be a nice date," he said.

-------

When Danny arrived at home again, the light coming from his bedroom told him Lindsay was still awake. She had suggested to stay in her own bedroom, but he had told her that he wasn't planning on taking this woman to his place at all. Obviously she had listened to him and had stayed; something that relieved him for some reason.

"Hey, I'm back," he greeted her when he joined her in the bedroom.

"Danny?" Lindsay asked, looking up at him in confusion. "You're back already?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. And don't ask me if it was a nice date. You want to hear the answer? It was horrible."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Lindsay answered.

"Yeah, it was just annoying. And you know what's even worse?" Danny asked while getting rid of his clothes to join her in bed. "She only met me for sex. Now feel free to laugh."

Lindsay indeed had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from laughing. Not long ago this would have been exactly what Danny had wanted. His reaction now showed how much he had changed lately.

"Women aren't any better than men," he sighed, resting his head on her stomach while she wrapped her arms around him. "You're really an exception."

"Thank you," she replied. Gently she ran her hand through his hair. "I hope my date tomorrow is better."

"You have a date tomorrow?" Danny asked. Although it had been his suggestion, he couldn't help but think that he wasn't really amused by the idea.

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow. I've been talking to Stella. I hope her suggestion for me is better than the one she had for you."

"Do me a favour," Danny replied. "Let's stop talking about dates, okay? I have enough of that for today."

Lindsay chuckled. "Okay."

With that they simply continued what they always did in the evening; cuddling. Danny wasn't even mad his date hadn't been nice; if he was honest he really wasn't in the mood for any dates at the moment. He also wished Lindsay would agree with him though.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you so much for the sweet feedback! You make me smile! And it inspires the muse. lol I decided this fic will have 10 chapters. I already wrote them all and post them soon. I was wondering if I should do a sequel maybe. What do you think?**

**So, here's the next chapter already. It's good to have the fic written already- means I can update more often. But I also have some chapters for my other fics. I'll update them as well soon. :)**

When Danny woke up in the morning, he was instantly greeted by the incredibly bright sunshine coming from his bedroom window. The bright sunrays didn't help his throbbing headache at all. Obviously the bottles of beer he had drunk the night before hadn't been good for him.

Sighing deeply, he rolled over to the edge of the bed. Like expected the other side of the bed was empty. He wasn't surprised by it; the night before Lindsay had had a date and she had told him she didn't know when she'd come back. To not wake him up, she'd sleep in her own bed. There were also other reasons why she possibly hadn't slept in his bed, and they all involved thoughts he quickly pushed away again.

No, Danny couldn't deny he disliked the thought of Lindsay dating some random guy. Imagining that this man might also touch her and do whatever else to her; this thought he really hated. Danny didn't even know why he hated this idea so much. He knew what Flack would tell him now, but that they had more going on wasn't what he agreed with.

Anyway it had pissed him off that she had gone out for a date for some reason and so he had spent the evening in front of his TV, drinking maybe a few beer too much. The headache was what he had to pay for that now.

Slowly he got up from his bed and left his bedroom, hoping he would find some painkillers and some coffee in the kitchen. On his way through the living room he could already hear noises coming from the kitchen. A light smile lit his face. Obviously Lindsay was already awake and maybe already making some coffee and breakfast for them. At least she hadn't gone to any random guy's place.

But the moment he walked into the kitchen, already ready to greet her, he almost got a heart attack. The person in front of him definitely wasn't Lindsay. He was looking at a guy, who was standing next to a cup of coffee.

"Good morning," the guy greeted him like there was nothing special about him being in this kitchen.

"Uh...hello," Danny greeted back, blinking a few times. Was he maybe in the wrong apartment? "What...are you doing in my kitchen?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man said, offering his hand. "I'm Frank. You must be Danny, Lindsay's roommate."

"Yes," was all Danny managed to stay. He still couldn't stop staring at the other man. He didn't need the man to say more to know he was Lindsay's date. And unfortunately Frank had no idea in what a dangerous situation he was right now.

"I hope you don't mind me making coffee," Frank said. "I just needed some caffein before I leave."

"It's fine," Danny answered, trying to hide his wish to just kick the man out of the kitchen window. "So...you and Lindsay were out last night?"

Frank nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "We've been in a few clubs. She's really a nice and funny woman. You don't meet that often."

"Very true," Danny agreed. Frank seemed to be nice. Anyway he had to clench his hands into fists to prevent himself from smacking the other man. He really didn't know why he was so extremely furious about the current situation. He knew; if Frank didn't finish his cup of coffee quickly and left, he would get into serious problems.

"Okay, I think I should go now," Frank said like he had read Danny's mind. "It was nice to meet you, Danny. Greet Lindsay when she gets up and tell her I'm sorry I had to go already."

"Sure thing," Danny answered, giving the man a smile while he led him to the door. "It was nice to meet you, too, Frank," he said before he closed the door. "And never see you again," he added mumbling.

He turned around to head back to the kitchen. But before he reached it, the door to Lindsay's room was opened. His very sleepy roommate appeared in the doorway, only wearing a shirt with a few buttons closed in front of her chest. In an instant Danny's headache was gone. Instead he felt something else, something that forced him to tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him if he didn't want to embarrass himself.

"Good morning," he said. "Your date just left."

"Oh, okay," Lindsay answered, yawning.

"He said he was sorry he had to go already," Danny added when he and Lindsay entered the kitchen, cursing himself for being so honest. Why did he make this guy look good?

"Nah, it's fine," she said, filling her cup with coffee.

Danny nodded, sighing lightly. "So you and Frank...you had a nice date?"

"Yes, it was quite nice," Lindsay answered, heading over to one of the kitchen tables. "We were in a few clubs."

"That's what he told me as well," Danny replied, joining her. "And then you...came here?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes." She took a sip of her coffee.

Danny looked at her. "And?"

"And what?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Did you find a nice...cuddle partner or something?" Danny knew he possibly should have worded his question a bit different. He hoped she hadn't heard the slight bit of his immense jealousy in his voice.

"A new cuddle partner?" Lindsay chuckled. "I think you were talking about something else, huh? I told you I'm not looking for a relationship like that. We were just closer to our home and so I allowed him to sleep on our couch."

Danny had to fight hard against the urge to sigh in relief. "So you didn't...?"

Laughing, Lindsay shook her head. "No, we didn't. It was just a nice date. That's all. You're still my one and only cuddle partner." She paused briefly before she added, "Why do you care though?"

"Oh, I don't, I mean, I do," he stammered, hoping he didn't blush again. "I was just...making sure you're sticking to your decision to not start something like that."

Lindsay laughed even more. "Thanks for taking care of that. Don't worry."

Danny nodded. "Will you meet him again?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I think I will. We'll see. He was nice, maybe it'd be nice to go out for dinner next time. What do you think?"

"Why not? It sounds like a good idea," Danny replied, once again cursing himself. What the hell was he telling her?

"Great, I will call him later," she answered. "So, lets make some breakfast, I'm hungry."

Sighing lightly, Danny nodded, like Lindsay getting up from his chair. He was confused; confused by his actions but also by what he was feeling. Why did he even bother? He knew he couldn't do anything against his jealousy though. Whatever reasons it had.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Did I ever tell you how much I love you for the sweet reviews? Thank you so much! After seeing Danny's POV, I think it's nice to see what Lindsay is thinking now. ;)**

**To The netherlands girl: Thank you! :)**

**To Crys: Thank you! And there'll be something from her POV this time. ;)**

**To Kriis: lol I'm glad you found your password again. Thanks for the review!**

**To saderia and Rike: Thanks for your reviews! :)**

Although Lindsay agreed with Danny that she had enough of complicated dates and relationships that led to nothing, she had gone out for a date anyway. Somehow she could understand Danny; the longer the two of them kept on having their cuddle sessions every evening and every night, the less she was interested in going out, meeting other guys.

Then Stella had suggested to meet Frank. Lindsay hadn't been sure if this was a good idea, especially not after what Danny had told her after his date, arranged by Stella. Anyway she had done it and she had even liked it.

But as much as Lindsay had enjoyed going out again, having a nice evening with Frank, she couldn't deny there was another feeling inside her. A feeling that told her that although Frank was a very nice guy and possibly perfect for a serious relationship, he wasn't what she wanted.

But what did Lindsay want? She had no idea. Like she had no idea why it had bothered her when Danny had been out for a date and why she had been relieved when she had found out that this date hadn't been good and wouldn't be continued. What was her problem?

"At least your date made coffee for us already," Danny told Lindsay, causing her to snap out of her thoughts. They were standing in the kitchen now, she was still only dressed in her large shirt and he was only wearing his boxers. She couldn't do anything against the fact she was blushing lightly.

"Can you give me a cup as well?" she asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Sure," Danny answered. While filling two cups with steaming hot coffee, he briefly glanced at her, raising his eyebrows lightly. "I don't want to seem to be curious or something. But the shirt you're wearing isn't coincidentally mine?"

Lindsay's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"

"Either you bought a men's shirt for yourself or you accidentally are using one of mine," he told her. With a broad grin he sat down at the table as well.

Looking down at herself, Lindsay blushed even more. "Oh...that must have happened by accident. And last night I was too tired to look at what clothes I put on." Cursing herself for looking like a tomato now, she slid down from her chair. "I will just change into something else. And wash it of course..."

But Danny shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about that. I think it suits you, maybe even better than me. Just keep it on."

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him. There it was again, this smirk he loved to give her. This smirk she wanted to slap off his face, but that also never failed to make her smile as well. He was pretty when he smiled like that. Yes, she'd even go so far and say he looked sexy like that. Still Lindsay wasn't going on giving into what Flack still tried to tell her. She found that Danny was a very attractive man. And maybe she only didn't like his dates because she wanted the perfect woman for him. But that was all. Plus Danny had told her to continue dating Frank, right? Would he do that if there was more? Surely not.

"So you like me in your shirt?" she asked, mirroring his smirk.

"Of course I do," Danny answered, his smirk widening lightly. "Of course I think you look even better without that. Poor Frank wasn't allowed to get the chance to see you like that."

"But who knows, maybe he will," Lindsay shot back. She grinned at how Danny's expression changed. Obviously this wasn't the answer he had expected from her. "What? You just told me to call him and ask him for another date, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did," Danny replied. The weird, not really amused expression on his face remained though. "But I thought you were going to start something serious with a man. For me this means he won't see you shirtless for a pretty long time."

Lindsay had to bite her lips to prevent herself from laughing. "You sound like you're my big brother, you know that?"

Danny narrowed his eyes at her. "You do know that calling a man your big brother is like the worst thing you can tell him?"

Lindsay laughed so hard she had to grab the edge of the table to not fall from her chair. "I'm sorry, I forgot. No, of course you're not my big brother. You're my smoking hot cuddle partner who I can't wait to get my hands on again." To her surprise she felt how she blushed lightly at what she had said. Especially because it actually wasn't a joke at all.

Danny winked at her, once again giving her this teasing smirk. "You want to get your hands on me?"

"Because I'm hoping to get a nice massage in response, yes," she answered, smirking back at him.

"That's the only reason?" Danny asked. Still smirking, he moved closer, resting his arms on the table. "You're only using me for your own pleasure, Montana?"

"If I wanted to use you for my own pleasure, Messer, I would do a lot of other things to you in your bed," she shot back boldly before she could censor herself.

"Whoa, Montana," Danny replied, giving her a grin that made her wish to just run out of the kitchen. "You know what you just suggested?"

"I didn't suggest anything at all," she said, trying to get herself out of what she had talked herself into.

"Yeah, try to fool yourself," Danny answered sarcastically. "So, what are your plans for today?"

"I will call Frank and ask him for another date," she told him, hoping that with this she could turn the conversation away from where she had pushed it to. "And maybe after that we could do something together. The weather is good so I don't think we should stay in bed all day again."

"Whatever you want, Montana," Danny replied. "As long as I get my cuddle session tonight, I'm fine. And don't roll your eyes at me. You suggested that I should cuddle more."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Lindsay answered.

As much as Lindsay tried to tell herself that this was just teasing between her and Danny, she couldn't deny that it was affecting her more and more. There was something, a tension she had never felt with anyone else before. And she had to admit she loved this tension a lot.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! I'm so excited! Thank you! I already wrote the first few chapters of the sequel so I can post it as well soon. :)**

**To Crys: Aww, that's so sweet of you! Thank you!**

**To Rike: Thank you! Now we'll see his thoughts again. And hers.**

"When is your date today?" Danny asked. He and Lindsay were lying on their living room couch again, watching a game show on TV. He was lying on his stomach while she was half lying on top of his back, one warm wrapped around him while the other one was lazily running through his hair. It was the perfect moment to relax and if it was up to him, they'd remain in this position for the next weeks. So he didn't really know why he suddenly had to interrupt the comfortable silence for a question like this.

"Huh?" she made. Obviously she had been far away with her thoughts.

"When will you meet Frank today?" Danny asked again. It wasn't like he wanted her to meet this guy at all; surely not. But the urge to see her happy was too strong to keep her away from what she wanted; a serious relationship. And even he had to admit that Frank was a nice man.

"Oh, in two hours," she answered, not sounding like she was really excited about the prospect of a date.

"Shouldn't you get dressed already or something?" Danny wanted to know, moving a bit so he could glance at her. She was still dressed in only a tight, white tank top and very short pants. Not that he didn't think she could go out like that as well; it possibly wasn't the right outfit for a dinner though.

"You think I can't go like this?" she asked, lifting her head to give him a questioning look.

"Uh...of course you can go like that. It looks great, and you know that," Danny answered, blushing lightly. Shaking her head at him, Lindsay broke out into laughter.

"That was a joke, Danny. As if I'd go to a date like this. Thanks for liking my outfit though." With that she rested her head back onto its former place, continuing to run her hand through his hair.

"So?" Danny asked after another minute, raising his eyebrows lightly.

"So what?" Lindsay asked back. "I have two more hours. No need to get stressed."

"That's true. But usually you women start to dress up for a date hours before you have to go," he told her.

"I'm not like other women," Lindsay simply replied.

Danny chuckled. "That's true." He was silent for a moment before he added, "Lindsay, why do I have the feeling you aren't looking forward to this date?"

"Maybe because I'm not," Lindsay answered.

"And why not?" Danny wanted to know. He had known that there had been a different sound in her voice. "He's really a nice guy."

"Yeah, he is," Lindsay agreed, sighing lightly. "He's friendly, he's nice, he's perfect for possibly becoming something serious."

"Then where's the problem?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I have no idea." She was quiet again, but Danny could already feel there'd come more. So he waited until she continued a few minutes later. "Sometimes I just wonder if it makes any sense. This whole chasing guys, trying to find something special. I mean, look at us. I don't think I'll ever feel myself being as close to any other guy as I'm to you."

Listening to her answer, Danny couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. Carefully to not knock her from the couch, he turned around so he could face her. Carefully he closed his arms around her to keep her in place. "What do you mean?"

Lindsay shrugged again. "I don't know how to explain it. I just...don't see that I could feel so comfortable around any other guy. It's perfect with you. Like now. How long are we lying here already? An hour maybe? I could spend hours with just lying there with you. I love it when you hold me, like now. I love to snuggled against you, stroking you. I love all those hours we're spending together because I love being so close to you. I'm feeling comfortable, it's just you know when to talk and when to be silent, you know when to hug me and how to hug me. It's like we know each other without ever actually talking about us. It's like we can read each other's mind. I never had that with anyone before and I don't think I will ever find someone who's like you."

Hearing what his friend was telling him, Danny couldn't help but stare at her. He knew she thought like him; they had a strong connection, that was for sure. But that she thought they were that close, almost like soul mates? And that she loved being around him so much? The thought of that caused a strong warmth to rise inside him.

"Do you think the fact that we're so close might make it more difficult for you to find someone else?" he asked carefully.

"I don't know," Lindsay answered. "I don't even know what I want."

Again Danny only watched her for a moment. At this point his mind was confusing him. On one side he wanted to scream because of joy, happy that she felt the same connection between them he had already discovered a while ago. He could just tell her to wait and see and who knew? Maybe sooner or later something would happen between them. On the other side Danny was still unsure if this reaction maybe would only ruin everything between them. What if she really only saw him as a very close friend? Also all he wanted was her being happy.

"It's difficult to help you when you don't know what you want yourself," he said then. "But...when you think that our...friendship is preventing you from getting close to other men, maybe...well, if it helps you we could...spend less time together?" He hated himself for this suggestion. This was the exact opposite of what he wanted. But his wish to help her get what possibly made her happy was too strong to make him listen to his own wishes.

"But why?" Lindsay asked back. "Why should I stop doing something I love and feel comfortable with only to start something that possibly doesn't even make me happy?"

"Do you think Frank for example would be happy if we continued being so close for the case you get together?" Danny wanted to know, cursing himself for not just shutting up.

"Honestly?" Lindsay said. "I don't care. We're friends for so long already. Only because I suddenly meet a guy doesn't mean I just push you away for him. Either he trusts in me or he can go again." She hesitated briefly before she added, "I don't want us to stop. But...if you want to..."

Somehow Danny had expected this to come. Sighing lightly, he pulled her closer into his arms, allowing her to rest her head against his chest.

"Stopping our cuddle sessions is the last thing I want," he said softly, running his hand through her hair while the other one gently sneaked beneath her top, running over the smooth skin of her back. He felt how she snuggled closer against him. "You have no idea how much this time with you means to me. I only want you to be happy. But this doesn't mean I want to push you into some direction. I don't want to force you to date someone, I also don't want to force you to not do it. You have to know what you want."

Lindsay sighed. "Then why am I not looking forward to meeting Frank?"

"Maybe because you're not ready for that," Danny suggested. "He's nice, but maybe you just need a break, some time on your own without a relationship. Maybe he also is nice but just not the one you want."

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, maybe. So what am I supposed to do now?"

"If I were you, I'd go and meet Frank tonight," he answered. "Just give it a try again. If you still don't feel comfortable with it, it's fine. Maybe you'll also like it. All I can suggest is; do what you want and what you feel good with. If you feel better with not having dates, it's your decision. As long as it makes you happy, it's fine."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," Lindsay replied then. Snuggling even closer against him, she added, "I will get up in a few and get dressed. But until then...can we continue cuddling for a bit longer?"

"Of course," Danny answered, smiling at her.

Of course Danny wished that Lindsay wouldn't date Frank or any other guy. He also got the feeling that this wasn't what she wanted either. But he also thought that the risk he could talk her into something he wanted was too high. He was convinced that meeting the other man would possibly help her to decide what she really wanted.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Huge thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing this fic! Those alerts in my inbox made me smile so much. Thank you!**

**To Rike: That's so sweet of you! Here is it already, the next chapter. :)**

**To Crys: Like promised, here's the update. Thank you so much for the sweet reviews here and at LJ! **

"Are you okay?" Frank asked. Lindsay, who had been deep in her thoughts, snapped back to reality, staring at him. What did he ask her?

"What?" she asked. "I'm sorry."

Frank smiled at her warmly. "It's fine. I asked if you're okay."

"Oh, yes, sure," Lindsay answered, blushing lightly. Usually she never drifted away with her thoughts when she was on a date. "I was just, uh...thinking. I'm sorry."

"Let me guess," Frank replied. "About your roommate? Danny?"

"What?" Lindsay asked once again, staring at him with huge eyes. "How do you want to know...I mean..."

Frank laughed. "Lindsay, be honest. You don't really want this date, do you?"

Still she could only stare at him. Then she blushed bright red. "No, that's not true. Our last date was great..."

"But you realised that although you possibly like me, this is not what you want. Am I right?"

Looking at him, Lindsay tried to find any hint that'd tell her he was mad or angry at her. Instead she only found him smiling at her, warmly, and although she didn't think saying something like that on a date was nice, she decided to be honest. "Yes." Blushing even more, she added, "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry," he told her. "You gave it a second try, it didn't work. It's fine."

Lindsay couldn't help but shake her head at him. "I...well, this surely isn't how you expected this date to be though..."

Again Frank laughed. "Honestly? I already expected it. I thought it'd be a good idea to give it a second try, but I didn't really expect it to lead to anything. Not from your side at least."

"How do you mean?" Lindsay wanted to know. Had she done anything that could have caused him to think she wasn't interested in meeting him again?

"It was just a feeling," he explained. "It's about the little things. You hardly talked about him, but when you did, you smiled all the time. I also saw how he acted when he found me in your kitchen." He paused briefly, shaking his head with a smile.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, slowly getting confused.

"I'm not sure if the two of you set up some kind of contract or something," Frank said, smiling. "But...well, don't get me wrong. This is the second time I meet you and Danny I only met the morning in your kitchen. But if you want to hear my honest opinion...I think the two of you are pretending to be something you aren't."

Now Lindsay was completely confused. What had started as a date she indeed hadn't really been excited about, now almost seemed to turn into an analyse. Raising her eyebrows, she looked at him. "And what do you think we're pretending?"

Frank's smile widened. "Lindsay, you and Danny are acting like you're just friends. But honestly, what I could see so far didn't really have to do much with friendship."

Lindsay stared at him in shock, not sure if she had understood him right. "What? But...you don't know us. You didn't even see us together."

"True," Frank agreed. "But I don't have to. What I saw already was enough for me to think that. I saw how you smiled and how your eyes started to sparkle whenever you mentioned him. And I saw how he looked at me, like he was going to beat me up every moment when I would have dared to tell him I thought about touching you. The two of you don't see each other as friends anymore. I don't really know why you keep on denying that so much."

"Because it's not...true," Lindsay tried to contradict. But instead of repeating all the arguments she and Danny had used so many times before, she stopped. She remembered the conversation the two of them had had only a couple of hours before. A conversation about how much she enjoying being around him, how comfortable she felt, how close they were. And about how much he just wanted her to be happy. During this conversation Lindsay had felt this strong bond between them; a bond that made it almost impossible for her to even think about dating another man. She wasn't ready for dating? Maybe it was just because she already felt herself being connected to someone else.

"And now finally you understood it. Didn't you?" Frank asked, smiling satisfied.

Lindsay felt herself blushing a little bit more. "When did this date turn into you telling me I'm actually interested in my best friend?"

"I don't know," Frank laughed. "I hope I managed to open your eyes though."

Lindsay released a deep sigh. "I'm really sorry, Frank. I..."

But before she could say more, he interrupted her. "I had a really nice evening today. There is no need to apologize. If I was you though I would focus on what you really want from now on. How does that sound?"

Lindsay chuckled. "One of Danny's and my best friends told us about that over and over again."

Frank shrugged. "Sometimes it takes some time to wake up and realise you're just denying it."

Lindsay nodded in agreement. Obviously the man was right. If she was honest, she had already known that she and Danny were more than just friends. Obviously it had needed her to date another man to understand that.

---------

It wasn't even close to midnight when Danny heard the sound of Lindsay's key in the keyhole. Surprised turning around, he saw her entering the apartment. He half expected her to be in a bad mood, but found her smiling broadly.

"Hey," he greeted her. "You're back early."

Lindsay nodded. "Yep."

With this short answer she walked over to the couch, letting herself fall down next to him. Sighing deeply she leant back against the back of the couch. When she turned towards him, she found him watching her curiously.

"Did you have a nice date?" he asked when their eyes met.

Again Lindsay nodded. "It was nice, yes."

For a moment he felt disappointment, quickly tried to push it away though. "So the two of you will meet again?"

This time she shook her head. "No, we won't."

Confused Danny raised his eyebrows at her. "And why not? I thought the date was nice."

"It was nice," Lindsay agreed. "But it won't happen again. I don't think I'll go out for a date for the next time."

"Okay," Danny replied, still slightly confused but slowly understanding. "So you figured out whether you're ready for dates or not?"

Shrugging lightly, Lindsay moved closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. A smile lit her face when she felt how he closed his arm around her instinctively. "I just have to think about something."

"Sounds like a plan," Danny replied. He hesitated briefly before he added, "Don't get me wrong but...I'm happy to have my cuddle partner all for me again."

Lindsay's smile widened when she snuggled even closer against him. "Me, too."

Lindsay was glad she had met Frank again. He had made her realise that there was actually only one person she wanted to be close to, and this person was Danny. She still needed some time to think about her feelings. But she knew they'd have to talk about them soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This is the last chapter of this story. Thank you so much to everyone for the wonderful reviews! Thanks for reading it and for adding it to your favourites and alerts. I'm so happy to know you liked to read this fic as much as I liked to write it. That's why there'll be a sequel. :) Again, thank you so much for all the feedback! You're amazing!**

**Oh, and a little information: The CSI:NY Fanfiction Award is up again.**

It was early in the morning, it was weekend. Anyway Lindsay was already fully awake. Quietly, she was lying on her back, staring towards the ceiling of Danny's bedroom. There was no way she could simply go back to sleep with all those thoughts running through her mind.

Since Lindsay had been out with Frank, she slowly started to understand that she had been in a constant denial about what she was really thinking and feeling. For some reason she had pushed the possibility that there could be more than just friendship between her and Danny so far away that she had started to believe there was absolutely nothing going on.

The longer she thought about it the more she realised she was just fooling herself though. She didn't know if she had ever been so close to someone before. Especially not to a man. Although they weren't sleeping with each other or kissing or something else that would make it clear they were a couple, there was still enough going on to make it clear they weren't only just friends either.

Sighing lightly, Lindsay rolled over onto her side, looking at Danny who was lying next to her, still deep asleep. How many times had they been cuddling on the couch? How many times had they been cuddling in his bed? They even slept in his bed together. And if she was completely honest, she had never felt such a strong connection to anyone before. She had never felt so comfortable around anyone before. It was an amazing feeling, and yes, she couldn't deny it; there were much more feelings involved than she had been ready to admit so far.

Watching him lying next to her, Lindsay couldn't help the light smile that lit her face. He was looking so sweet while being asleep, spread over most of the space of his bed. No surprise he had a king sized bed; he really needed it. Briefly she felt the urge to just cuddle into his arms. She had already done that a couple of times when she had woken up before him. And had always smiled the moment he had closed his arms around her in a comforting embrace. It was a wonderful feeling, and once again a feeling that showed her her idea of them just being friends possibly had been wrong for a long while already.

"See something you like?" Danny's sleepy voice let her snap out of her thoughts. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she found him glancing at her, smirking lightly.

"I've just been thinking," she answered honestly. The curiosity in his eyes made her nervous. "About nothing special though."

"Oh, come on, Montana," Danny replied, playfully rolling his eyes at her. "I know how you look like when you're thinking about nothing special. That wasn't the expression. So what's going on?"

Lindsay knew Danny good enough to know he wouldn't stop questioning her until he got an answer that was true in his eyes. For a moment she thought about what she could say in response, what she could use as an excuse. But did she really want to find an excuse? If they went on like this, they would never really understand what was going on between them. Of course she didn't have to ask any really intimate questions. But carefully she could start it.

"I was just thinking about you and me," she said then.

"You and me?" Danny repeated.

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. And about what's going on between us. I mean...don't get me wrong, but...do you think it's...normal like that?"

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, although his expression was telling her he already knew.

"I mean...is it normal for friends to be close like us?" she asked. She knew in which direction this talk was already going but to her surprise she suddenly didn't care. She wanted to clarify this. Now. "I think Don isn't that wrong with what he's saying. We don't act like we're really only just friends. We're so close we can't even date others anymore. We can't spend a day without being close. We even share the same bed." She paused briefly, taking a deep breath before she added, "Actually the only thing that stops us from being more than friends is that we don't have sex and don't kiss. That's all."

Nervously she looked at him. She knew she had gone really far with her answer. She had just revealed that she thought that they weren't just friends but more. She knew this could get them into trouble. The look Danny gave her made her curious though.

"I have to say I think you're right with that," he said, to her surprise in a very calm voice, almost like he had planned on saying this as well somewhere along the line. "I'd even go so far and say we're actually already in a relationship. We just didn't admit it yet."

This answer caught her by surprise. Lindsay had already felt that somehow he must have been agreeing with her. That he even thought they actually were together already- this she hadn't expected.

"I think maybe that was...well, I'm sorry," Danny said then and Lindsay realised she must have been quiet for several minutes.

"Oh, no," she interrupted him quickly. "I...well, I have to admit I...agree with you." She paused briefly. Was she really saying that now? "I think we just didn't want to accept what everyone already knew. We're so close. And actually we're indeed already together. We just...have to finally admit it."

To her relief she saw a smile lighting his face, giving her more confidence. "So what do you say? Are we together now? Officially? Will we stop dancing around each other finally?" she asked

"If that's what you want," Danny answered. "Lindsay, I want you to be happy. And I want you to be sure you are happy with me."

"I am happy with you," she replied. "More than I have ever been with anyone else before."

Danny's smile widened lightly. Slowly he moved closer to her. "That's good to know."

And before Lindsay could reply anything, Danny kissed her. If both of them were honest, they had been aware of their feelings for a while already. Both were glad they had finally realised what they really wanted. What had started with cuddling had now lead to much more. And both were happy they had finally found what they had been looking for all the time; a serious relationship.

**Preview: We all love to be in love:**

**Danny and Lindsay are together now. But how will they handle being a couple and not only 'just friends' anymore? And what's their weird rule about?**


End file.
